MassDOT Advisory for Columbus Day Holiday Travel

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is reminding members of the public to plan ahead for the upcoming Columbus Day holiday weekend, utilize the appropriate technology tools to make informed decisions on route and timing of travel, and consider public transportation if possible.

“We encourage all members of the public to make informed decisions by visiting www.mass511.com, downloading our GoTime mobile app, going to www.mbta.com to view transit schedules, and considering the best route to take or time to travel,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “We know from previous years there are higher volumes on the roadways during the Columbus Day holiday weekend and we advise everyone traveling to check traffic conditions and plan ahead in order to reach their destinations in an efficient manner.”

MassDOT is taking steps to support safe and efficient travel for members of the public, including, shutting down scheduled roadway construction activities at 12 p.m. on Friday which could impact traffic with scheduled work resuming at the start of normal business hours on Tuesday, October 10.

All MBTA services including subway, commuter rail, ferry, and bus service will operate on a regular weekday schedule on Monday, October 9. For information about MBTA schedules please visit: www.mbta.com. Please note that some scheduled work will continue this weekend, including the installation of federally mandated Positive Train Control equipment on the Needham and Haverhill commuter rail lines and Red Line track work on the Longfellow Bridge.

Free coffee will be served at the 18 MassDOT service plazas from 10 p.m. Monday, October 9, through 5 a.m., Tuesday, October 10. The plazas serving free coffee include 11 service plazas along I-90 plus plazas along Route 3 in Plymouth, Route 128 in Beverly, Route 128/I-95 in Newton and Lexington, Route 6 in Barnstable, and the Route 24 northbound and southbound plazas.

The High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy will open early for the afternoon commute at 2 p.m., on Thursday, October 5, and 1 p.m., on Friday, October 6. The HOV lane will be closed on Monday, October 9, and will then re-open during regularly scheduled hours on Tuesday, October 10.

Customers are also advised that the Registry of Motor Vehicles offices are closed for the designated state holiday of Columbus Day on Monday, October 9. Please visit at any hour of the day the RMV online at www.massrmv.com to skip the line and perform many transactions. In addition, AAA members now have the opportunity to conduct many RMV services at numerous AAA branch office locations in Massachusetts during AAA normal business hours.

Drivers are reminded to avoid littering on roadways. Violators are subject to a fine of up to $5,500 for the first offense.

For traffic and road conditions, drivers may use the following options to make decisions:

Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.

Visit mass511.com to view travel times, road construction, traffic alerts or crashes along a route. Incidents, road closures, lane closures, real-time live traffic cameras, and weather alerts/forecasts, can all be viewed on the interactive live Traffic Map.

Dial 511 from a landline or cell phone to hear information on current conditions on major roadways.

Register for a Mass511 account to create and personalize routes and alerts to be notified of events on those routes ahead of time.

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